In stores, big smiles and busy Market Basket workers

Market Basket managers began the process of re-energizing their stores Thursday but said it will take a few days to get things humming along smoothly again.

Employees let their joy shine.

Grocery clerk Meg Proietti ran into the Central Plaza store on Water Street in Fitchburg and into the arms of Bakery Manager Bill Nascimento, who spun her in the air in celebration.

Head cashier Adiel Silva and Nascimento started cleaning the store windows, taking down boycott signs before heading outside to hang another sign, this time welcoming back customers and thanking them for their support during the protracted boycott.

Irene Dalterio, who got a part-time job at Hannaford during the boycott, was happy to return to Market Basket on Sack Boulevard in Leominster on Thursday afternoon. See video at sentinelandenterprise.com.
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The shopping experience won't return to normal until the stores get restocked said Jim St. Cyr, the assistant store director.

The shelves in aisle 3 were still bare when the store opened at 7 a.m. Thursday, but there were already signs the restocking process was under way.

"They came and got the (store trailer) in the middle of the night," St. Cyr said. "So that's a good sign."

The restocking process will depend on how quickly the distribution center can start delivering stock.

"I've been told it could be three days," St. Cyr said. "Within the week we should be fully stocked."

Artemisa Konomi, at the Wallace Plaza store on John Fitch Highway in Fitchburg, has worked for Market Basket for 12 years.

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Thursday was a busy day inventorying and ordering merchandise, she said. Supplies in the store are low because workers didn't order stock for several weeks.

"We're so happy to be back in the normal," Konomi said.

For her it's a family business. Konomi's 20-year-old daughter Marina has worked part time for the store since she was 14.

"We lost a lot of money," Konomi said.

Artemisa Konomi was extra busy Thursday at the Market Basket on John Fitch Highway in Fitchburg. "We're so happy to be back in the normal," she said. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / ASHLEY GREEN

Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site.

Emily Fortier, a seven-year veteran of the Sack Boulevard store across from the Mall at Whitney Field in Leominster, was in the health and beauty aisle scanning bar codes and ordering stock Thursday.

"Our customers stopped shopping very quickly (once the boycott began) but we ran out of a lot of stuff," Fortier said.

Produce Manager Stephen Loughlin has worked for the company 14 years, including two at the Wallace Plaza store.

He couldn't say how quickly he can get his department back in shape.

"We're hoping within the next couple days," he said.

Produce and deli meats will take longer than canned goods to stock, said Mark Scamman, the store director for the Sack Boulevard store.

Meats and cold cuts take a couple of days to arrive from New Jersey, and produce has an even longer trip, he said.

"We have a little work to do," Scamman said. "Produce doesn't get into the warehouse the next day, it comes from California (and) Canada."

The store started ordering paper goods from the distribution warehouse but got direction from higher-ups to order paper goods and Poland Spring directly from suppliers.

Part-time employees were dropped from work schedules during the boycott, but full-timers found ways to stay busy painting and scrubbing.

"Every case has been cleaned, almost every shelf has been cleaned or painted," said Kevin Brosseau, the store director at the Wallace Plaza store. "It would have taken us years to get everything in such good shape, especially on older stores like us."

Scamman said his store just finished a renovation about eight months ago, so his employees spent most of their time cleaning rather than painting.

"Basically, we're a brand new store, soup to nuts," Scamman said.

Brosseau said he has about 200 employees, and the part-timers will get their hours restored.

"They are all getting called back (Thursday)," he said. "We welcome back every employee and customer."

The Sack Boulevard store has about 450 employees, including about 100 full-time workers, Scamman said.

He started calling part-timers Thursday to find out who will be returning to work because some are going off to college.

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